Thanks everyone for helping me reach this milestone - let's finish this last one stronk! Hopefully this will look better than Tyranitar thread... we'll see.
[OVERVIEW]
* Arceus-Grass is a somewhat risky Arceus forme to employ for many teams due to its general inconsistency. What Arceus-Grass will accomplish is largely dependent on the matchup, and it will be inevitably reliant on its teammates to patch up its many shortcomings.
* Nonetheless, Arceus-Grass's lone Grass typing allows it to differentiate itself from other support Arceus formes with its ability to check threatening Pokemon like Double Dance Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground, pivot into Primal Kyogre, and most notably, handle Zygarde-C thanks to its resistance to Thousand Arrows, access to recovery, and ability to threaten Zygarde-C with Ice Beam. Access to Meadow Plate-boosted Grass Knot is also notable, as it has considerably high damage output against many Pokemon in the tier. Arceus-Grass's obligation to pack various coverage moves combined with its strong Grass Knot makes it difficult to safely switch into for offensive teams.
* While Arceus-Grass's typing provides it with the aforementioned valuable niches, its common weaknesses to Fire, Flying, and Ice heavily undermine Arceus-Grass's ability to defensively check foes, obligating its team to deal with more threats than it covers. Arceus-Grass's vulnerability to Mega Gengar and Gothitelle additionally concerns players with teambuilding when using it.
* Arceus-Grass's very rigid moveset further diminishes its usefulness, as it is mostly reliant on hitting foes super effectively to threaten them and will therefore struggle against practically any all defensive teams, where Pokemon that aren't threatened by Arceus-Grass at all like Ho-Oh, Lugia, Toxapex, and Blissey are prevalent. Many balanced teams also have ample methods to threaten Arceus-Grass with common Pokemon like Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM, and Giratina-O, which force Arceus-Grass to predict to 2HKO them on the switch.
* Arceus-Grass can be functional with appropriate team support, but the fact that it fails to blanket check many threats, doesn't provide much utility, and does little to its checks and counters limits its justifiability over other support Arceus formes.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Grass Knot
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Recover
item: Meadow Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 80 HP / 176 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Grass Knot heavily damages most neutral targets, netting 2HKOs on Primal Groudon and unresisted Arceus formes with or without prior damage.
* Ice Beam targets Dragon- and Flying-types that aren't hit hard by Grass Knot. Ice Beam's ability to OHKO Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and regular Zygarde and prevent Yveltal from freely switching into Arceus-Grass makes it indispensable.
* Fire Blast ensures that Steel-types like Necrozma-DM, Ferrothorn, and Magearna can't take advantage of Arceus-Grass and enables Arceus-Grass to offensively check Mega Lucario. Arceus-Grass's immunity to Leech Seed mandates the use of Fire Blast to let it pivot into and force out Ferrothorn.
* Recover allows Arceus-Grass to consistently pivot into foes like Zygarde-C, Arceus-Ground, and Arceus-Water.
Set Details
========
* 252 Speed EVs and a Timid nature allow Arceus-Grass to at worst Speed tie with other Arceus formes and Mega Salamence.
* 176 Special Attack EVs give Arceus-Grass's Grass Knot enough power to always take out uninvested Arceus-Ground after Stealth Rock damage, score a 2HKO on offensive Primal Groudon, and have a favorable chance to OHKO Primal Kyogre and Arceus-Water with Stealth Rock up. Ice Beam will OHKO any offensive Zygarde variant after Stealth Rock damage, and Fire Blast will outright OHKO Mega Lucario and, with Stealth Rock, 2HKO offensive Necrozma-DM and Mega Gengar the majority of the time.
* The remaining EVs are invested into HP, letting Arceus-Grass avoid the 2HKO from physical Primal Kyogre's Ice Beam and the OHKO from Mega Gengar's Sludge Wave if it proves to be a necessity.
* HP EVs can be maximized for Arceus-Grass to take attacks from Arceus-Ground better in general at the cost of less damage output.
* Multitype and Meadow Plate allow the use of Arceus-Grass with boosted Grass Knot.
Usage Tips
========
* Arceus-Grass can acquire opportunities to switch in by switching into the small number of Pokemon it checks: Zygarde-C, Primal Kyogre, Arceus-Ground, and Arceus-Water. Even this may involve risk, as Arceus-Grass is hit super effectively by coverage moves like Ice Beam and hindered by Toxic. Pivot Arceus-Grass in appropriately so it will avoid status conditions and won't have to be pressured to use Recover too often.
* Though Arceus-Grass is capable of hitting various foes with its moves, make cautious predictions once it gets a chance to safely attack. Arceus-Grass at best 2HKOes its checks like Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM with appropriate moves, so it is vitally important to hit them as hard as possible on the switch to prevent a loss of momentum. Especially in matchups that are in Arceus-Grass's favor, an opponent will attempt to pivot into various foes that resist coverage moves to let threats like Primal Groudon and Yveltal switch into weaker moves, so analyze how the opponent reacts to Arceus-Grass when they lack a reliable switch-in.
* Setting entry hazards can facilitate this to a considerable degree by turning many possible 2HKOs into guaranteed 2HKOs. Stealth Rock is especially needed most of the time to prevent Ho-Oh from consistently walling this set and discourage other Flying-types like Yveltal from freely threatening Arceus-Grass.
* Be quick to determine Arceus-Grass's overall usefulness in the matchup. Against offensive teams, it should be given many chances to net as much damage as possible, but it will not do anything notable against teams with Ho-Oh or any defensive teams. Arceus-Grass especially cannot punish its defensive checks like Ho-Oh due to the lack of Toxic, so avoid making it needlessly remain in an unfavorable matchup.
Team Options
========
* A Stealth Rock user is mandatory to keep Ho-Oh and other Flying-types in line. Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM both suffice for this role, and defensive variants can further reduce Ho-Oh's longevity with Toxic. More offensive teams can employ Dialga, which pressures Giratina-O and Mega Salamence.
* Arceus-Grass's team must contain a core that can blanket check a significant portion of the tier, as Arceus-Grass will be easily turned into setup fodder in instances where it fails to make correct predictions and 2HKO its switch-ins. Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh can check Steel-types that get out of hand such as Necrozma-DM and appreciate Arceus-Grass's ability to pivot into Ground-type attacks and Primal Kyogre.
* Magearna prevents Yveltal from causing serious damage to the team after threatening out Arceus-Grass. Cleric support is further appreciated, as there is a considerable chance that Arceus-Grass will be afflicted by Toxic while attempting to handle other Arceus formes. Xerneas can play a similar role as Magearna as a less durable check to Yveltal that can provide utility options like Aromatherapy, Defog, and revenge killing with a Choice Scarf set or take advantage of Arceus-Grass's ability to lure in Steel-types to clean late-game with Geomancy sets. Both Xerneas and Arceus-Grass are vulnerable to Mega Gengar and Ho-Oh, so ensure that they are properly dealt with by other teammates.
* Zygarde-C and Mega Salamence are capable of handling Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh. Both of them appreciate Arceus-Grass dealing with Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Water, and the latter especially values Arceus-Grass weakening Steel-types with Fire Blast. Giratina-O proves to be a more reliable check to Primal Groudon and can provide Defog support.
* Mega Gengar traps and removes Toxapex and special walls that can persistently wall Arceus-Grass. Many balanced and stall teams have at least one Pokemon that can defensively check Arceus-Grass and thus tend to react by switching in said check on Arceus-Grass, and this opens an opportunity for Mega Gengar to force a trade with Destiny Bond against foes like Ho-Oh and defensive Yveltal. Mega Gengar also notably traps and removes Ultra Necrozma, which can set up on Arceus-Grass.
* Offensive teammates like Rayquaza and Marshadow can take advantage of Arceus-Grass weakening or removing most of their defensive checks. Both of them can choose different movesets, as Arceus-Grass possesses moves that they will need against specific targets. To specify, Rayquaza can opt for Earthquake and have Arceus-Grass deal with Steel-types with Fire Blast, while Marshadow can forgo Hidden Power Ice and run Rock Tomb to draw in and remove Ho-Oh, run Pursuit to eliminate or cripple Mega Gengar and Gothitelle, or use Marshadium Z to alleviate Arceus-Grass's horrendous matchup against defensive teams. Physically oriented Primal Kyogre can greatly trouble many stall teams, and Arceus-Grass appreciates Primal Kyogre's ability to pivot into Fire-type moves. In return, Arceus-Grass prevents Ferrothorn from recovering with its immunity to Leech Seed and forces it out with Fire Blast.
* Tyranitar synergizes well with Arceus-Grass defensively. Choice Band variants tend to provide the best utility options with their ability to trap and eliminate Mega Gengar and Gothitelle, immensely threaten Ho-Oh, and KO or cripple Chansey and Blissey. Tyranitar also is capable of pivoting into Mega Salamence and Yveltal, which Arceus-Grass will generally attempt to avoid. In return, Arceus-Grass can facilitate Tyranitar's wallbreaking by threatening Ground-types and weakening Steel-types.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Arceus-Grass has extreme difficulty adjusting its conventional moveset, as it is very easily checked defensively without Grass Knot, Ice Beam, and Fire Blast.
* Judgment hits Toxapex hard enough to 2HKO it with Stealth Rock damage, and it also has significantly better damage output against Marshadow and Mega Mewtwo Y. However, the loss of damage output against other Pokemon from forgoing Grass Knot makes Judgment hard to justify.
* Stone Edge 2HKOes Ho-Oh, but it has no other viable use.
* To further threaten offensive teams, Calm Mind can be used over Recover to amplify Arceus-Grass's offensive presence, but Arceus-Grass can already threaten to OHKO a myriad of threats from such archetypes and it will need two Calm Mind boosts to reach the point where it can OHKO threats like Primal Groudon and Arceus formes with Grass Knot, making it an option that generally ends up hampering Arceus-Grass's defensive capabilities instead.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ho-Oh**: Arceus-Grass's effectiveness is heavily limited against any team with Ho-Oh, as it takes minimal damage from any attack and can threaten back with Brave Bird, Sacred Fire, or Toxic. Defog variants in particular are very hard to handle, as Arceus-Grass providing Ho-Oh an opportunity to switch in will give it a chance to freely remove Stealth Rock, further narrowing options to pressure it.
**Shadow Tag Users**: As long as it hasn't switched into Fire Blast, Mega Gengar traps and easily removes Arceus-Grass with Sludge Wave. Gothitelle isn't significantly threatened by Arceus-Grass's attacks and thus can reliably trap and eliminate it.
**Chansey and Blissey**: Both Chansey and Blissey take pathetic damage from Arceus-Grass's attacks and can fully take advantage of it.
**Toxapex**: Due to Grass Knot having meager damage output against it, Toxapex can liberally switch into Arceus-Grass to freely set Toxic Spikes.
**Flying-types**: Though they dislike switching into Ice Beam, Yveltal and Arceus-Flying can offensively check Arceus-Grass. Yveltal has a chance to be 2HKOed by Ice Beam, but it can retaliate with Oblivion Wing if it managed to switched into an other move. Arceus-Flying risks getting 2HKOed by Ice Beam if it switches in when Stealth Rock is up, but it can otherwise set up Calm Mind against it. Lugia is not even 2HKOed by Ice Beam after Stealth Rock damage and can easily stall out Arceus-Grass with Toxic.
**Dragon-types**: Dialga isn't hit super effectively by any moves from Arceus-Grass and resists Grass Knot. It can threaten to 2HKO Arceus-Grass with Fire Blast or set Stealth Rock against it. Giratina completely stops Arceus-Grass and can PP stall Ice Beam as long as it hasn't been excessively pressured by Arceus-Grass's other teammates. Giratina-O can check Arceus-Grass from full HP, but it loses a considerable portion of its health with every Ice Beam.
**Status**: Toxic significantly hampers Arceus-Grass's defensive presence against Zygarde-C, Arceus-Ground, and Arceus-Water. Paralysis prevents Arceus-Grass from outspeeding Rayquaza and Mega Lucario, leaving it vulnerable to them.
[OVERVIEW]
* Arceus-Grass is a somewhat risky Arceus forme to employ for many teams due to its general inconsistency. What Arceus-Grass will accomplish is largely dependent on the matchup, and it will be inevitably reliant on its teammates to patch up its many shortcomings.
* Nonetheless, Arceus-Grass's lone Grass typing allows it to differentiate itself from other support Arceus formes with its ability to check threatening Pokemon like Double Dance Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground, pivot into Primal Kyogre, and most notably, handle Zygarde-C thanks to its resistance to Thousand Arrows, access to recovery, and ability to threaten Zygarde-C with Ice Beam. Access to Meadow Plate-boosted Grass Knot is also notable, as it has considerably high damage output against many Pokemon in the tier. Arceus-Grass's obligation to pack various coverage moves combined with its strong Grass Knot makes it difficult to safely switch into for offensive teams.
* While Arceus-Grass's typing provides it with the aforementioned valuable niches, its common weaknesses to Fire, Flying, and Ice heavily undermine Arceus-Grass's ability to defensively check foes, obligating its team to deal with more threats than it covers. Arceus-Grass's vulnerability to Mega Gengar and Gothitelle additionally concerns players with teambuilding when using it.
* Arceus-Grass's very rigid moveset further diminishes its usefulness, as it is mostly reliant on hitting foes super effectively to threaten them and will therefore struggle against practically any all defensive teams, where Pokemon that aren't threatened by Arceus-Grass at all like Ho-Oh, Lugia, Toxapex, and Blissey are prevalent. Many balanced teams also have ample methods to threaten Arceus-Grass with common Pokemon like Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM, and Giratina-O, which force Arceus-Grass to predict to 2HKO them on the switch.
* Arceus-Grass can be functional with appropriate team support, but the fact that it fails to blanket check many threats, doesn't provide much utility, and does little to its checks and counters limits its justifiability over other support Arceus formes.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Grass Knot
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Recover
item: Meadow Plate
ability: Multitype
nature: Timid
evs: 80 HP / 176 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Grass Knot heavily damages most neutral targets, netting 2HKOs on Primal Groudon and unresisted Arceus formes with or without prior damage.
* Ice Beam targets Dragon- and Flying-types that aren't hit hard by Grass Knot. Ice Beam's ability to OHKO Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and regular Zygarde and prevent Yveltal from freely switching into Arceus-Grass makes it indispensable.
* Fire Blast ensures that Steel-types like Necrozma-DM, Ferrothorn, and Magearna can't take advantage of Arceus-Grass and enables Arceus-Grass to offensively check Mega Lucario. Arceus-Grass's immunity to Leech Seed mandates the use of Fire Blast to let it pivot into and force out Ferrothorn.
* Recover allows Arceus-Grass to consistently pivot into foes like Zygarde-C, Arceus-Ground, and Arceus-Water.
Set Details
========
* 252 Speed EVs and a Timid nature allow Arceus-Grass to at worst Speed tie with other Arceus formes and Mega Salamence.
* 176 Special Attack EVs give Arceus-Grass's Grass Knot enough power to always take out uninvested Arceus-Ground after Stealth Rock damage, score a 2HKO on offensive Primal Groudon, and have a favorable chance to OHKO Primal Kyogre and Arceus-Water with Stealth Rock up. Ice Beam will OHKO any offensive Zygarde variant after Stealth Rock damage, and Fire Blast will outright OHKO Mega Lucario and, with Stealth Rock, 2HKO offensive Necrozma-DM and Mega Gengar the majority of the time.
* The remaining EVs are invested into HP, letting Arceus-Grass avoid the 2HKO from physical Primal Kyogre's Ice Beam and the OHKO from Mega Gengar's Sludge Wave if it proves to be a necessity.
* HP EVs can be maximized for Arceus-Grass to take attacks from Arceus-Ground better in general at the cost of less damage output.
* Multitype and Meadow Plate allow the use of Arceus-Grass with boosted Grass Knot.
Usage Tips
========
* Arceus-Grass can acquire opportunities to switch in by switching into the small number of Pokemon it checks: Zygarde-C, Primal Kyogre, Arceus-Ground, and Arceus-Water. Even this may involve risk, as Arceus-Grass is hit super effectively by coverage moves like Ice Beam and hindered by Toxic. Pivot Arceus-Grass in appropriately so it will avoid status conditions and won't have to be pressured to use Recover too often.
* Though Arceus-Grass is capable of hitting various foes with its moves, make cautious predictions once it gets a chance to safely attack. Arceus-Grass at best 2HKOes its checks like Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM with appropriate moves, so it is vitally important to hit them as hard as possible on the switch to prevent a loss of momentum. Especially in matchups that are in Arceus-Grass's favor, an opponent will attempt to pivot into various foes that resist coverage moves to let threats like Primal Groudon and Yveltal switch into weaker moves, so analyze how the opponent reacts to Arceus-Grass when they lack a reliable switch-in.
* Setting entry hazards can facilitate this to a considerable degree by turning many possible 2HKOs into guaranteed 2HKOs. Stealth Rock is especially needed most of the time to prevent Ho-Oh from consistently walling this set and discourage other Flying-types like Yveltal from freely threatening Arceus-Grass.
* Be quick to determine Arceus-Grass's overall usefulness in the matchup. Against offensive teams, it should be given many chances to net as much damage as possible, but it will not do anything notable against teams with Ho-Oh or any defensive teams. Arceus-Grass especially cannot punish its defensive checks like Ho-Oh due to the lack of Toxic, so avoid making it needlessly remain in an unfavorable matchup.
Team Options
========
* A Stealth Rock user is mandatory to keep Ho-Oh and other Flying-types in line. Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM both suffice for this role, and defensive variants can further reduce Ho-Oh's longevity with Toxic. More offensive teams can employ Dialga, which pressures Giratina-O and Mega Salamence.
* Arceus-Grass's team must contain a core that can blanket check a significant portion of the tier, as Arceus-Grass will be easily turned into setup fodder in instances where it fails to make correct predictions and 2HKO its switch-ins. Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh can check Steel-types that get out of hand such as Necrozma-DM and appreciate Arceus-Grass's ability to pivot into Ground-type attacks and Primal Kyogre.
* Magearna prevents Yveltal from causing serious damage to the team after threatening out Arceus-Grass. Cleric support is further appreciated, as there is a considerable chance that Arceus-Grass will be afflicted by Toxic while attempting to handle other Arceus formes. Xerneas can play a similar role as Magearna as a less durable check to Yveltal that can provide utility options like Aromatherapy, Defog, and revenge killing with a Choice Scarf set or take advantage of Arceus-Grass's ability to lure in Steel-types to clean late-game with Geomancy sets. Both Xerneas and Arceus-Grass are vulnerable to Mega Gengar and Ho-Oh, so ensure that they are properly dealt with by other teammates.
* Zygarde-C and Mega Salamence are capable of handling Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh. Both of them appreciate Arceus-Grass dealing with Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Water, and the latter especially values Arceus-Grass weakening Steel-types with Fire Blast. Giratina-O proves to be a more reliable check to Primal Groudon and can provide Defog support.
* Mega Gengar traps and removes Toxapex and special walls that can persistently wall Arceus-Grass. Many balanced and stall teams have at least one Pokemon that can defensively check Arceus-Grass and thus tend to react by switching in said check on Arceus-Grass, and this opens an opportunity for Mega Gengar to force a trade with Destiny Bond against foes like Ho-Oh and defensive Yveltal. Mega Gengar also notably traps and removes Ultra Necrozma, which can set up on Arceus-Grass.
* Offensive teammates like Rayquaza and Marshadow can take advantage of Arceus-Grass weakening or removing most of their defensive checks. Both of them can choose different movesets, as Arceus-Grass possesses moves that they will need against specific targets. To specify, Rayquaza can opt for Earthquake and have Arceus-Grass deal with Steel-types with Fire Blast, while Marshadow can forgo Hidden Power Ice and run Rock Tomb to draw in and remove Ho-Oh, run Pursuit to eliminate or cripple Mega Gengar and Gothitelle, or use Marshadium Z to alleviate Arceus-Grass's horrendous matchup against defensive teams. Physically oriented Primal Kyogre can greatly trouble many stall teams, and Arceus-Grass appreciates Primal Kyogre's ability to pivot into Fire-type moves. In return, Arceus-Grass prevents Ferrothorn from recovering with its immunity to Leech Seed and forces it out with Fire Blast.
* Tyranitar synergizes well with Arceus-Grass defensively. Choice Band variants tend to provide the best utility options with their ability to trap and eliminate Mega Gengar and Gothitelle, immensely threaten Ho-Oh, and KO or cripple Chansey and Blissey. Tyranitar also is capable of pivoting into Mega Salamence and Yveltal, which Arceus-Grass will generally attempt to avoid. In return, Arceus-Grass can facilitate Tyranitar's wallbreaking by threatening Ground-types and weakening Steel-types.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Arceus-Grass has extreme difficulty adjusting its conventional moveset, as it is very easily checked defensively without Grass Knot, Ice Beam, and Fire Blast.
* Judgment hits Toxapex hard enough to 2HKO it with Stealth Rock damage, and it also has significantly better damage output against Marshadow and Mega Mewtwo Y. However, the loss of damage output against other Pokemon from forgoing Grass Knot makes Judgment hard to justify.
* Stone Edge 2HKOes Ho-Oh, but it has no other viable use.
* To further threaten offensive teams, Calm Mind can be used over Recover to amplify Arceus-Grass's offensive presence, but Arceus-Grass can already threaten to OHKO a myriad of threats from such archetypes and it will need two Calm Mind boosts to reach the point where it can OHKO threats like Primal Groudon and Arceus formes with Grass Knot, making it an option that generally ends up hampering Arceus-Grass's defensive capabilities instead.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ho-Oh**: Arceus-Grass's effectiveness is heavily limited against any team with Ho-Oh, as it takes minimal damage from any attack and can threaten back with Brave Bird, Sacred Fire, or Toxic. Defog variants in particular are very hard to handle, as Arceus-Grass providing Ho-Oh an opportunity to switch in will give it a chance to freely remove Stealth Rock, further narrowing options to pressure it.
**Shadow Tag Users**: As long as it hasn't switched into Fire Blast, Mega Gengar traps and easily removes Arceus-Grass with Sludge Wave. Gothitelle isn't significantly threatened by Arceus-Grass's attacks and thus can reliably trap and eliminate it.
**Chansey and Blissey**: Both Chansey and Blissey take pathetic damage from Arceus-Grass's attacks and can fully take advantage of it.
**Toxapex**: Due to Grass Knot having meager damage output against it, Toxapex can liberally switch into Arceus-Grass to freely set Toxic Spikes.
**Flying-types**: Though they dislike switching into Ice Beam, Yveltal and Arceus-Flying can offensively check Arceus-Grass. Yveltal has a chance to be 2HKOed by Ice Beam, but it can retaliate with Oblivion Wing if it managed to switched into an other move. Arceus-Flying risks getting 2HKOed by Ice Beam if it switches in when Stealth Rock is up, but it can otherwise set up Calm Mind against it. Lugia is not even 2HKOed by Ice Beam after Stealth Rock damage and can easily stall out Arceus-Grass with Toxic.
**Dragon-types**: Dialga isn't hit super effectively by any moves from Arceus-Grass and resists Grass Knot. It can threaten to 2HKO Arceus-Grass with Fire Blast or set Stealth Rock against it. Giratina completely stops Arceus-Grass and can PP stall Ice Beam as long as it hasn't been excessively pressured by Arceus-Grass's other teammates. Giratina-O can check Arceus-Grass from full HP, but it loses a considerable portion of its health with every Ice Beam.
**Status**: Toxic significantly hampers Arceus-Grass's defensive presence against Zygarde-C, Arceus-Ground, and Arceus-Water. Paralysis prevents Arceus-Grass from outspeeding Rayquaza and Mega Lucario, leaving it vulnerable to them.
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